Georgia State Patrol Reports show fatal crashes in Pickens County were down 77 percent in 2018, the lowest number recorded in the last eight years.

According to GSP statistics, there were nine fatalities in 2017 and just two county-wide in 2018.

GSP handles all vehicle fatalities in Pickens County.

GSP Post #28 Commander Tim Nichols said it is difficult to determine the reason of the decrease, and noted it is too early to tell the impact of Georgia’s new hands-free driving law, which went into effect on July 1.

Andrew Flowers is wanted for the theft of an ATV earlier this year -- one of several burglaries solved after a flood of tips to the sheriff’s office.

Sheriff Donnie Craig said Tuesday that beginning in late November the flood-gate bust open with tips that have led to the arrest of several people involved with at least three different burglary operations.

“We would be taking information and thinking this doesn’t seem right, then realize it was a whole new case we were getting leads on,” he said. “It was pretty awesome for us. We were getting a ton of tips with a ton of people helping us and that is how we solve cases and get things done.”

Originally approved in July, the city council and downtown development authority were to pay $100,000 for this downtown corner and building. A price that DDA Chair Mike Denson now calls unsupportable.

The city of Jasper’s effort to purchase the closed Entegra Bank drive-thru on the north end of Main Street stalled Tuesday when the Downtown Development Authority chair said he refuses to sign the documents to complete the deal.

The Jasper council had voted to purchase the property in July of 2018 with the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) handling the financing. All parties apparently felt at the time it would be good to add public bathrooms and more parking spaces to North Main. An article at the time noted that it would take about eight weeks to renovate the building.

More important than a credit card – Election board member William Bell shows his voter registration card, which he carries everywhere, to fellow board members (sitting l-r) Tara Canon, Sheralee Brindell, Jack Barnes and Election Supervisor Julianne Roberts standing. Not shown, board member Paul Lindsey out of frame at far end of table.

The board of elections held a detailed, deep and somewhat heated discussion regarding voter purges and the amount of leeway they might exercise with absentee ballots Tuesday (January 8th).

Adriana Gutierrez, a member of the public, encouraged the local elections board to go above and beyond state requirements to not turn voters away due to minor issues.